Paddle toy with fly-back counter



Dec. 19, 1967 G, LERNER ET Al.

PADDLE TOY WITH FLY-BACK COUNTER Filed Jan. '7, 1964 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3 358 999 ranura ToY wrrn rfv-BACK CoUNrER George Lerner, 12 Prospect Court, Freeport, N.Y. 11520, tlullgsgulius Ellman, 1672 E. 7th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.

Filed Jan. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 336,299 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-98) This invention relates generally to a plaything, and is especially concerned with a paddle-type plaything having a ball tethered thereto.

As is well known, paddles having tethered balls have been employed as playthings in the past, often in contests and games to determine which player is able to perform with the plaything by making the greatest number of consecutive or uninterrupted hits of the ball by the paddle. Heretofore, it has been necessary to observe or mentally count the number of hits, which procedure detracted from the contestants concentration, or required an additional party to count. Further, such mental counting was always subject to the possibility of error.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a paddle-and-tethered-ball construction for repeated hitting of the ball by the paddle, wherein counting of the number of hits is performed accurately and automatically, without effort or concern of the player, and which is not subject to mistake or error..

It is another object of the present invention to provide the unique combination of a counting mechanism and indicator therefor in association with a paddle and tethered ball, which device may be employed in the same manner as a conventional paddle and tethered ball and further serves to automatically count the number of hits achieved.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a paddle-type plaything having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, which is extremely simple in construction, durable and entirely reliable in operation throughout a long useful life, and which can be economically manufactured for sale at a reasonable price.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan View of the paddle-type plaything constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, showing the hitting side of the paddle partly broken away to expose the interior construction.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paddle device of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a plane View showing the non-facing side of the paddle of FIGURE 1, as seen from the right of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line 4 4 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURES l-3 thereof, the paddle device of the present invention is there generally designated 10, and includes a generally flat, hollow paddle body 11 from which extends a paddle handle 12.

The paddle body 11 may include a hitting wall or face 15 of somewhat ovaloid configuration, best seen in FIG- URE l, and integrally formed with a generally central, substantially circular recess 16. The recess 16 opens through the hitting face 15 and is formed by a generally at bottom wall 17 of somewhat circular configuration which is offset from the plane of the hitting face or wall 15 by a generally cylindrical wall 18. The recess 16 is thus generally cylindrical.

Further, a cylindrical wall 19 extends circumferentially about and spaced from the cylindrical Wall 18 to define therebetween an annular groove 20 surrounding the recess 16 and opening through the hitting face 15. The hitting wall or face 15 further includes a generally flat, substantially circular wall portion or part 21 extending across the recess 16, substantially coplanar with the remainder of hitting face 15 and having a peripheral flange 22 inserted into and secured within the groove 20. Thus, the recess 16 is closed to define a hollow or interior chamber within the body 15.

Extending peripherally about the body 15 may be a rigidifying flange 25, projecting toward the non-hitting side of the body. The handle 12 may also be hollow, or of other suitable construction, the parts thus far described being advantageously fabricated of plastic, as by suitable molding process.

Interiorly of the body 15, within the chamber or hollow 16 is a counting mechanism, generally designated 30. The counting mechanism 30 may be provided with a pointer or indicator 31, say adjacent to and outward of the non-hitting wall or face 17. Also, on the exterior of the non-hitting face 17 may be provided a circular array of numerical indicia arranged relative to the pointer 31, see FIGURE 3, to be indicated by the latter.

Exteriorly of the hitting face 15 is a ball 35, say of rubber or the like, which is tethered to the paddle body 15 by suitable flexible, resilient tethering means 36. The tethering means may include a flexible elongate element or cord 37 extending slidably through the hole 34 formed in the wall part 21 and having its inner end connected to the counting mechanism 30. The outer end of the cord 37 is connected, as by a connector 38, to one end of an elongate elastic element 39. The other end of the elastic element 39 may be secured to the ball 35.

The counting mechanism 30 includes a toothed wheel or gear 40 disposed generally centrally within the charnber 16 and axially rotatable therein, .as by mounting on a shaft 41 extending rotatably through and outward of the non-hitting wall 17. The pointer 31 may be carried by the shaft 41 for rotation with the gear 40.

A pin 42 is fixed in the chamber or hollow 16 by any suitable means, generally parallel to and spaced from the shaft 41 and may rotatably carry a pinion 43 in meshing engagement with the gear 40. Also rotatably carried by the pin 42, and fixed relative to the pinion 43, is a ratchet wheel 44. The pinion 43 and ratchet wheel 44 thus rotate together in an angular direction opposite to that of gear 40.

An arm 45 is provided `at one end with a slot 46 slidably and rotatably receiving the pin 42. Thus, the arm 45 is rotatable about the axis of pin 42 and movable or translatable longitudinally relative to the pin, as limited by the length of slot 46. At the distal end of arm 45 is provided a pawl or dog 47 located for engagement with the teeth of ratchet wheel 44. That is, the pawl 47 is carried by the arm 45 and swingable therewith in the clockwise direction to drive the ratchet whee144 and gear 43 in the clockwise direction. However, the pawl 47 is swingable with the arm 45 in the counterclockwise direction, and is shiftable radially outward away from pin 42 to ride over the teeth of ratchet wheel 43. To limit swinging movement of arm 45, suitable stop means may be provided, such as a lug 48 fixed interiorly of the hollow 16 in the path of movement of arm 45. The arm 45 is normally urged in its counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE l, by suitable resilient means such as extension spring 49 having its opposite ends respectively anchored to the arm 45 and the body 15. Limiting counterclockwise rotation of arm 45 may be the spring 49, or other suitable limiting means.

Spaced circumferentially about the ratchet wheel 44 from the Idrive pawl 47 may be a holding pawl or dog 50. That is, the pawl t) may be pivotally mounted, as by pin 51 interiorly within the hollow 16 and engageable with the teeth of ratchet wheel `44 to permit only unidirectional rotation of the latter. The holding pawl y5t) may be resiliently urgedy into holding engagement with the teeth of ratchet wheel 44 by suitable resilient means, such as a tension spring 52 which may be connected between the ixed pin 42 and the holding pawl.

lThe cord 37 of tether means 36 extends transversely from arm 4S and passes slidably through the hole 34 in wall part 21, having its inner end anchored, as at 53 to the distal end of arm 45. Thus, upon tension in the tethering means 36, force is exerted upon the arm 45 to rotate the latter clockwise against the action of spring 49 into limiting engagement with the stop means 48. This eliects stepped rotation of ratchet wheel 44r and pinion 43, to in turn rotate gear 40 and pointer 31. Upon release of the tension in tethering means 36, the spring 49` acts to return the arm 45 and pawl 47 counterclockwise, while the ratchet 44 is held against counterclockwise motion by the holding pawlf50. Of course, the pinion 43 and gear 40 remain stationary upon return of the arm as the ratchet Wheel 4-4 is not rotated fcounterclockwise. The abovedescribed operation is repeated upon each hitting of the ball 35 by the paddle 11, and the pointer 31 is rotated to indicatey the number of' hits achieved. The pointer 31 vmay then be manually rotated in the same direction,

clockwise as seen in FIG. 3, for return to zero.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a paddletype plaything which full accomplishes its intended objects and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A plaything comprising a hollow paddle body having a hitting face, a handle extending from said body, a counting mechanism mounted in the hollow of said body, a flexible resilient elongate element having one end connected to said counting mechanism interiorly of said body and extending slidably outward through said hitting face for actuation of said counting mechanism from exteriorly of said body, a ball connected to the outer end of said elongate element for repeated hitting by and return to said hitting face, and indicating means exteriorly of said body on the non-hitting face thereof and connected to said counting mechanism for operation thereby to indicate the number of hits, said indicating means comprising a pivotal pointer, the non-hitting face of said body being provided with numerical markings associated with said pointer, said counting mechanism comprising a rotary ratchet wheel in driving relation with said pointer, and an oscillatory pawl engageable with said ratchet wheel to step the latter in one direction, said elongate element being connected to said pawl for oscillating the latter, means mounting said pawl for rotation and translation, whereby said pawl drives said wheel in one direction of oscillation and rises over said wheel in the other direction of oscillation, said mounting means comprising an arm having a slot at one end, said pawl being carried at the other end of said arm, and a pivot pin mounting said ratchet wheel, said slot receiving said pivot pin to mount said arm for said rotation and translation.

Reierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,121,867 12/1914 Reeves 273-1021 2,250,802 7/ 1941 Johnston 273--98 2,482,435 9/ 1949 Poole 74-576 X 2,736,557 2/ 1956 Androsiglio 273-97 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner.

M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner. 

